My temper flared. “So what you’re saying is I’m such a hideous creature that no guy would want to date me without a dowry attached?”
“I literally said none of that.”
“Yeah, well, it was implied,” I spat back.
Hudson honked.
Quinn’s thermostat cranked higher. “Seriously? The shithead can’t even come to the house to get you?”
“I told him not to because you’re such a colossal douchebag.”
Not offended in the least, Quinn smiled, backing himself up against the door and folding his arms in front of him. “I don’t want to do this, Grace, but you leave me no other choice.”
His lower half was left wide open, and I knew just where to land the punch, but I stopped myself at the last second. I wasn’t a child anymore, and it was no longer acceptable to use his dangling parts to get my point across. Besides, I had way more damaging dirt on my brother, an arsenal of misdeeds committed by him and his randy pack of band geeks that I could leverage against him.
“Aren’t you cute?” I smiled, waving a hand in front of him. “Now, step aside.”
Quinn offered up his own counterfeit grin. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
That response prompted the inner animal in me. With a low, menacing growl, I replied, “No? Okay. But I do wonder what Mom and Dad will do to you when they find out about your encounter with police at the Hollywood sign. I know you had to take a piss, but really, Quinn, on a national treasure? Also, I think you might forget I have access to your toothbrush…andthe toilet, should I decide your baby-soft bristles need to go for a swim.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I squared my jaw. “Oh, but I would.”
Quinn hesitated, clearly giving my threat some serious consideration. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he decided whether eternal grounding and good oral hygiene were more important than cock-blocking me on my first date. In the end, good old-fashioned blackmail won out.
“Fine.” He threw his hands up. “Go to the concert with the arsonist. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Playing with matches does not make him an arsonist.”
“Yes, Grace. It actually does.”
“Whatever you say. Are we done here?”
“Not so fast. If you turn off your location and I can’t track you, then I’m coming after Hudson… and I won’t be responsible for rearranging his face.”
I rolled my eyes. Quinn was not exactly the MMA fighter he fancied himself. But I allowed him his tough guy persona today for no other reason than I wanted out the door with as little fuss as possible.
“Yes, fine.” I performed a little curtsy. “You may defend my honor if Hudson steps out of line. Will that make you happy?”
Quinn’s bravado faded, replaced with acceptance and maybe even a little anguish. My heart softened just a smidgen. This was hard on him. Quinn still carried the anger from the days when Jake and, to a certain extent, the rest of the family, had gone missing. That was what had prompted Quinn to vow to be my protector. And he’d been a good one. The best. I had no qualms with the way he loved me; I just needed him to understand that I’d grown up and could now take over that role for myself.
“Stay home with me.” He made one final push. “We can watch a movie. I’ll order a pizza. Just us, like old times.”
A part of me wanted that—to escape into a place of safety with my big brother by my side—but Quinn had always been my umbrella and I’d never been allowed to feel the raindrops on my head. I needed to venture out on my own and risk the storms that might follow.
“How about tomorrow night?”
“How about tonight?” he countered, a convincing smile slanting his upper lip.
“If you’re so worried about me, come to Jake’s concert.”
The same smile faded. “Nah. I’ll just stay home and stalk you.”
I figured that would be his response. Only Quinn would pass up the hottest ticket in town—Jake’s last show before surgery on his knee would sideline him for at least a year. The tickets had sold out within minutes of their surprise release, and now, everyone and their mother was trying to score secondhand tickets.
Except apparently for Quinn, who couldn’t be bothered.
